I heard a great story last night on my local NPR about job clubs. These networking clubs provide a variety of free (or very low-cost) services to job seekers, from practice interviews to resume-writing clinics to much-needed support. According to the story I heard, the number of job clubs in my town alone has grown from two to 14 in the past year, and the average number of attendees has increased more than 10-fold. If you are looking for a job, experts recommend that you join at least two different clubs, because each one will have its own benefits and dynamic. Some job clubs, for example, ...

Office supply stores Staples and Office Depot are both running job searching specials this month, with free copies of your resume, free faxing and even free business cards. If you are looking for a job, taking advantage of one (or both) of these offers is a great way to save your budget the expense of printing and faxing. Here are the details: At Office Depot, you can print up to 25 single-sided pages for free, and get free faxing to five different domestic numbers, up to 25 pages in total. The special runs through May 30. To find an Office Depot near you, call 1-888-GO-DEPOT. At Staples, you ...

Here’s a helpful little tidbit for you. With the nation’s unemployment numbers on the rise, Fed Ex is offering to print up 25 copies of your resume for free. To take advantage of this one-day offer, go to the Fed Ex Office Print and Ship Center nearest you (apparently there are 1,600 nationwide). Copies will be printed in black and white on resume quality paper. What better way to get your resume into as many hands as possible?! Before you head out to Fed Ex to print your free copies, make sure your resume is in tip-top shape. Brush on the elements of a great resume and review JobM...

Are you a high school or college student looking for a summer job? You might be feeling overwhelmed right about now with all the news that summer jobs are hard to come by in ‘09. It’s true that tough economies equal fewer jobs and more competition for them. But that doesn’t mean you are doomed to a summer of pathetically watching soap operas. You can still land a great summer gig if you follow these seven golden rules of job searching: 1. Work on your resume. Even if you lack on-the-job experience, you can demonstrate leadership and community activism through school activi...

The news hasn’t been good for weeks, but today America’s job market reached an all-time low. CNN reported this afternoon that 71,400 jobs were lost today. That’s the single highest job loss day since 1945. The companies affected include: - Catepillar, which is cutting 20,000 jobs - Drug-maker Pfizer, which is reducing its workforce by 10% — 8,100 jobs - Sprint Nextel, which is eliminating 8,000 jobs - Home Depot, which is closing its Expo Center and cutting 7,000 associates - Texas Instruments, which is slashing 3,400 employees - Financial group ING, which is reducing i...

I hope you are having a great weekend. We’ve got freezing temperatures and snow here, but I’m staying warm inside and enjoying a little trip around the (career) blogosphere. Here’s what I’ve got for you this fine Saturday. >> A Warning for Job Seekers: Is That Job Ad Real? @ the Job Hacking blog. Here’s a depressing little tidbit looking at scam job ads. His conclusion: “30% – 50% of ads represent jobs that don’t really exist one way or the other.” Two weeks ago I did a post on work at home scams.  If you want to know how to ̶...

If you are a college senior, you are entering the most glorious semester of your educational career. You are riding high, about to graduate and start the next chapter of your life. And in the meantime, you get to enjoy enough collegiate-style entertainment to last a lifetime. Perhaps you know you are going to graduate school and are just waiting on your final acceptance notices. But statistics tell us that most of you will be looking for a job come May — and given the current economic climate, that might feel like a pretty daunting task right about now. Here are some tips for starting...

Sorry I’m so late with the link love this weekend.  Not sure where my head has been, other than trying to avoid the rain that turned to ice that turned to snow that turned back to ice.  Winter is such a delight with that first pristine snow, but the shine wears off quickly, doesn’t it?  Hopefully you are managing to stay a bit more optimistic about your job searching than I am about the rain/ice/snow. I have some great links tonight, including a recent piece from the CBS Early Show about how to find holiday work.  If you are currently on the hunt for a full-time job, a seaso...

When I was looking for my first job, I had a friend who was also job hunting.  She printed her resume on pale pink paper.  I think it may have even been scented.  I always thought it was over the top — excessively so. I figured that if you wanted to get noticed, you should be focused on making sure that your resume left the others in its dust. Be a stand out in terms of experience? Yes.  Scented pink paper?  No. If you are considering dousing your resume in cologne (or other “drastic” measures), stop and reconsider.  Here are five better ways to get your resume notic...

Wow, this week just flew by. In case you are just finding us, I wanted to let you know what we’ve been talking about this week. On Mondays, I explore a popular job market and give you the inside scoop on what background, experience and education is required to land one of these positions. This Monday, we looked at travel nursing – i.e. short-term nursing positions in communities around the country. Thanks to the nursing shortage, travel nurses are in high demand and can earn top dollar.  Tuesday is all about tips to make your job search easier.  This week we looked at...